Sen. Bryan Avila flips through a book and stops to read a page featuring him and Miami-Dade during opening day of the 2023 Florida Legislative Session, Tuesday, March 7, 2023.
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co
Republican gubernatorial nominee Byron Donalds announced on Tuesday morning that Bryan Avila, a state senator from Hialeah, will be his running mate, formally adding a lieutenant governor candidate as he ramps up his campaign for the November general election.
Donalds, who last week secured the Republican nomination, made the announcement during his “Defending the Florida Dream” tour stop at the Freedom Tower at Miami Dade College in downtown Miami. He is set to face Democrat David Jolly and his running mate, Gwen Graham, in the race to succeed Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The choice of lieutenant governor provides insight into how Donalds intends to assemble a statewide coalition in support of his ticket. By selecting Avila, who is Cuban-American, and announcing it in Miami, the Donald campaign aims to connect with the Latino immigrant community and secure Miami-Dade County, a key battleground in the gubernatorial race.
In May, Donalds, who was endorsed by President Donald Trump, joined local leaders including Avila in Hialeah to launch a ‘Latinos for Byron’ coalition aimed at galvanizing Hispanic voters to support his ticket.
This is a breaking news item. Come back for updates.
Churchill Ndonwie
Miami Herald
Churchill Ndonwie is an Esserman Investigative Fellow at The Miami Herald. Before this role, he was an Ida B. Wells investigative intern with the New York Times, where he examined the hidden pipeline of undocumented workers into U.S. factories and the victimization those individuals experienced. He was also a Global Migrations Fellow at Columbia Journalism Investigations, where he worked with Reuters to investigate and reveal the smuggling routes through commercial and charter airlines used to facilitate illegal immigration to the U.S. Southern border from India and West Africa.
Claire Heddles
Miami Herald
Claire Heddles is the Miami Herald’s senior political correspondent. She previously covered national politics and Congress from Washington, D.C at NOTUS. She’s also worked as a public radio reporter covering local government and education in East Tennessee and Jacksonville, Florida.